Close-Up: Live issue - Has Publicis' Levy appointed his heir-apparent?(Publicis Groupe network appoints Olivier Fleurot)

The appointment of Olivier Fleurot signals a return to Gallic control for the Publicis Groupe network, John Tylee writes.

The coup de theatre was typical Maurice Levy. Not only did he manage to keep the lid on the resignation of the head of his flagship network for three months, but only let the news out once the new management line-up was ready for its photocall.

It was not until Richard Pinder and Olivier Fleurot, respectively the new chief operating officer and executive chairman of the Publicis network, were wheeled into a meeting of the executive committee in Paris on Wednesday (4 October) last week that the Publicis Groupe chairman's secret had been shared beyond his closest associates. Some had been taken into his confidence only the previous day.

'Levy is a careful operator who doesn't like a problem without a solution,' one says. 'It's characteristic of the man that when something like this happens he will go into a dark corner and won't come out until he has an answer.'

Levy's behind-the-scenes manoeuvrings began in July when Rick Bendel, the network's British-born chief operating officer, told his boss he was …